The rapper’s lawyers allege that her former cameraman’s harassment lawsuit is “fabricated” and an attempt to “tarnish” her “career and reputation” in a new court filing
Megan Thee Stallion’s legal team is calling recent harassment claims made by the rapper’s former cameraman, Emilio Garcia, “fabricated” in a new court filing.
In late April, the personal photographer filed a lawsuit against Megan (real name Megan Pete), 29, claiming that she created an “unbearable hostile work environment” while he was employed by her between 2018 and 2023, during which she allegedly “subjected him to sexual harassment,” per a press release and documents obtained by PEOPLE. Garcia also claimed the rapper “fat-shamed” him and “failed to pay him properly in violation of numerous labor codes.”
According to a May 29 response filed by Megan’s attorneys, Mari Henderson and Alex Spiro, they claim Garcia’s complaint “consists almost entirely of falsehoods, misrepresentations of fact, and outlandish claims that have no basis in fact or law and no merit.”
The lawyers’ filing alleges that the cameraman is a “con artist” who is “manipulating the judicial system to act as his publicist and bullhorn” in an attempt to “boost” his singing career “while trying to tear down the successful career of Megan Thee Stallion.”
“Throughout his tenure as an independently contracted photographer and videographer for Ms. Pete and her production companies, Defendants [Hot Girl Touring, LLC] and [Megan Thee Stallion Entertainment, Inc.], Plaintiff repeatedly falsified his invoices and overcharged Ms. Pete for services he never completed and sought reimbursements for money he never spent,” the filing claims. “Plaintiff’s pattern of misrepresentations was so prevalent that Ms. Pete was forced to terminate Plaintiff in June 2023.”
The court filing goes on to allege that Garcia was so “angry at the loss of this high-profile gig and his exile from the inner circles of stardom” that he “filed a factually and legally frivolous Complaint.”
“Plaintiff took a run of the mill wage and labor dispute and trumped up his frivolous claims with sensationalist false allegations of sex, debauchery, and workplace harassment for the sole purpose of creating a media firestorm to tarnish the career and reputation of Ms. Pete,” it continues. “As evidence of his true intent to get media attention, and to use this sham Complaint as a vehicle for his press campaign, this Complaint should never have even been filed in California state court because his independent contractor contract requires litigation in New York and because he, and all properly joined defendants, are not California citizens.”
Along with the response filing, Megan’s legal team also petitioned to move Garcia’s complaint from the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, where the photographer originally filed his lawsuit, to federal court, claiming it has “absolutely no connection to California state court.”
In Garcia’s April lawsuit, the cameraman claimed that after a night out in Ibiza, Spain, “in or around June 2022,” he, Megan and three other women were riding in an SUV together when, “suddenly,” the rapper and one of the other women started “having sex right beside” him.
“Plaintiff could not get out of the car as it was both moving and he was in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country. Plaintiff was embarrassed, mortified and offended throughout the whole ordeal,” the filing alleged. “The following day, Stallion inquired whether the plaintiff was in the SUV the previous night. Plaintiff confirmed that he was in the SUV. Subsequently, Stallion instructed, ‘Don’t ever discuss what you saw.’”
According to court documents, Garcia is seeking damages for unpaid wages, interest on the amount of unpaid wages and other employee benefits at the prevailing legal rate, unpaid wages at overtime wage rates, restitution and legal fees.
Shortly after the photographer’s lawsuit, attorney Spiro issued a statement to PEOPLE on behalf of Megan, saying, “This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her. We will deal with this in court.”
